Following a couple of years of rest, the RNA Club organized by Dr. Murray Deutscher (Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) and Dr. Antoni Barrientos is back. The first presentation will take place on November 14, 2018. Title: “The human Obg-family GTPase GTPBP10 is required for mitochondrial ribosome maturation” Presenter: Dr. Priyanka Maiti; Introduction to the […]
Most steps on the biogenesis of the mitochondrial ribosome (mitoribosome) occur near the mitochondrial DNA nucleoid, in RNA granules, which contain dedicated RNA metabolism and mitoribosome assembly factors. Here, analysis of the RNA granule proteome identified the presence of a set of small GTPases that belong to conserved families of ribosome assembly factors. We show […]
Mammalian mitochondrial ribosomes (mitoribosomes) synthesize 13 proteins, essential components of the oxidative phosphorylation system. They are linked to mitochondrial disorders, often involving cardiomyopathy. Mitoribosome biogenesis is assisted by multiple cofactors whose specific functions remain largely uncharacterized. Here, we examined the role of human MTG1, a conserved ribosome assembly guanosine triphosphatase. MTG1-silencing in human cardiomyocytes and […]
Rui Zeng and Hyun-Jung Kim, two graduate students from the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology program at the University of Miami have graduated. Congratulations! Rui is already in China following postdoctoral training. Hyun-Jung will start in Novembre 2018 at Stanford University (CA).
Mitoribosomes are specialized for the synthesis of hydrophobic membrane proteins encoded by mtDNA, all essential for oxidative phosphorylation. Despite their linkage to human mitochondrial diseases and the recent cryoelectron microscopy reconstruction of yeast and mammalian mitoribosomes, how they are assembled remains obscure. Here, we dissected the yeast mitoribosome large subunit (mtLSU) assembly process by systematic genomic […]
Andrea Ruetenik, Ph.D.candidate in the program of Neuroscience at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine has been elected as one of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA)’s 2018 Human Biology Project Fellows. Her proposal entitled “The protective role of NAD salvage pathway proteins against mutant huntingtin toxicity” received a two-years funding.
Several members of our group (Dasmanthie De Silva, Sarah Poliquin, Rui Zeng, Natalie Marrero, Flavia Fontanesi and Antoni Barrientos) in collaboration with the group of Dr. Xochitl Perez Martinez have reported that Mss116 plays an important role in COX1 mRNA translation in S. cerevisiae by interacting with the COX1 mRNA translational activator Pet309. The article […]
In this article, we have reviewed the current knowledge regarding the dual function of mitoribosome components in protein synthesis and apoptosis and their association with cancer susceptibility and development. We have also highlighted recent developments in targeting mitochondrial ribosomes for the treatment of cancer.
Zoe Cosner was awarded The David G. Anderson Price for outstanding University of Miami undergraduate biochemistry and molecular biology major class 2017. The award honors Dr. David G. Anderson (1923-2010), who served as undergraduate advisor for many years until his retirement in 1980. A native of South Dakota, Anderson served in the U.S. Navy during the […]
Zoe Cosner won the second place for best poster at the Life Sciences South Florida STEM undergraduate research symposium, an event showcasing undergraduate student research from 11 South Florida universities, hold in Palm Beach on April 1, 2017.
Our lab participated in the 55th Anniversary Celebration of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Department of Neurology, honoring the faculty’s milestones and a decade of distinguished service for our chairman Dr. Ralph Sacco. We gathered at the beautiful Biltmore Hotel in the city of Coral Gables (Miami).
Hyun-Jung Kim is visiting the laboratory of Dr. Alexey Amunts at the SciLifeLab in Stockholm (Sweden). She will learn some basics of cryo-EM and attempt reconstructing the structure of mitochondrial ribosome assembly intermediates. Andrea L. Ruetenik is visiting the laboratory of Dr. Lisa Ellerby at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging (Novato, […]
Myriam Bourens and Antoni Barrientos have published two papers on the biogenesis of human mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase. The papers, published in EMBO Reports and the Journal of Biological Chemistry, characterize the function of two cytochrome c oxidase assembly factors, CMC1 and COX18, respectively.
Priyanka won the first place at the Research Poster Competition during the postdoctoral research day at the University of Miami. In her poster, Priyanka presented the progress on her ongoing research on the role of proteins OBGH1 and 2 on the assembly of human mitochondrial ribosomes. Her research topic, results, and presentation skills were considered as the best among […]
During the BMB Research Day at the University of Miami, Rui successfully presented the progress in her research project entitled: Assembly pathway of the yeast mitochondrial ribosome large subunit. She was awarded the first prize for best presentation.
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